


Impossible Dreams

by shinigami_yumi



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Canon Compliant, Companionable Snark, Complete, Dubious Consent, Dubious Mythology, F/M, First Time, M/M, Nipple Play, Rimming, Snark, Spoilers, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 18:12:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14086695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinigami_yumi/pseuds/shinigami_yumi
Summary: When Merlin shows up in his office to fix a power shortage, Romani knows he's started down a slippery slope.Or Romani Archaman has five problems, and they all start with Merlin.Now featuring beautifulartbyMicehellWD!





	Impossible Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be out on White Day. I'm late, but better late than never, right?
> 
> Spoilers ahead; since E Pluribus Unum was only just released on the English version of the game, this is based on their interactions in the Japanese version. Canon compliant as of the time of writing.
> 
> Much thanks to [Matsuri_Kuu](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Matsuri_Kuu/pseuds/Matsuri_Kuu) for the beta!

**~I~**

The first time Merlin pops out from under his office desk, Romani Archaman falls off his chair with a shout.

"Wーwhat are you doing here?" he demands, picking himself and his fallen chair up.

"Isn't it obvious, Romani?" Merlin replies brightly with a chuckle. "I'm paying you a visit."

Green eyes narrow as the doctor sits back down and crosses his arms and legs. "Okay, what do you want?"

"Cold, Archaman." The Magus of Flowers settles back, hugging his knees. "Can't I make a social call?"

"We don't even like each other," Romani reminds him pointedly.

"Speak for yourself! You've become interesting lately. I could say my opinion of you has rather improved."

"Well, my opinion of you hasn't. So, again, what do you want?"

"Oh, fine, fine. Be that way." Merlin rolls his eyes, but never loses his brilliant smile. "So… I heard from the lovely Da Vinci that you're facing a power shortage~"

Romani tenses. "And?"

"And I'd like to help, of course. Never think I wouldn't do my part to support humanity, as I have all this time."

"Right. But?"

"How pessimistic." Merlin rests his chin on his knees. "You immediately assume there's another shoe to drop."

"No, I'm just sure there's a reason you're here talking to me about it."

He didn't think it was possible, but Merlin's grin widens. "Well, you see, sourcing for magical energy and channelling it here is rather a strenuous task, and I still haven't recovered my od from the last time, so…"

"Why, Merlin, I didn't realise you needed an excuse for your perversion!" Romani exclaims, inching back and away involuntarily.

The other shrugs. "It's only an excuse if it's invalid."

"Oh, you're not denying it's perversion. Right." He nods to himself. "I almost forgot you're shameless."

"As if I could convince you otherwise." He rises fluidly to his feet. "Well, it's fine if you're unwilling. I can always ask someone else."

 _Wait, someone else?!_ "Wait!" In a flash, Romani has leapt out of his chair to grab Merlin by the elbow as the Magus turns to leave. "Don't you dare drag anyone here into your depravity," he hisses. Even if he barely knows their names, they're still technically his subordinates.

"You mean like you did?" Dark eyes drop pointedly to his left hand, and he flinches away, letting go. "Well, you're not exactly my first choice, b—"

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?!" he snaps, although, sure, he's aware that the root of all—no, only most—of Merlin's problems are the hybrid's _woman_ izing ways.

"But I expected you'd say something like this, so I asked you first," Merlin continues to reason, ignoring his outburst. "If you won't cooperate, though, you leave me no choice." He shrugs carelessly. "After all, it'd be a problem for all of humanity if Chaldea ran out of power."

And Romani doesn't need Clairvoyance to know that this is a trap or that he's started himself on a dangerously slippery slope, but damn Merlin for being the only one around that can actually solve their energy problem, and he's not entirely wrong about Romani being a part of their predicament.

"All right, fine. What do you need me to do?"

Merlin's eyes light up, and Romani instantly regrets his decision.

"Surely you don't need me to tell you that, O Wise King of Magecraft," the Magus of Flowers replies with an exaggerated, patronizing bow. "You know perfectly well all the ways to transfer od, and weren't you just accusing me of perversion?"

Romani shudders, wrapping his arms around himself. "Stop. Just stop."

Merlin straightens and steps gracefully around the desk to envelop him in fine lilac-scented robes. Before he can react, soft lips brush the side of his neck, and his hairs stand on end.

"Besides, I'm no vampire, so it's true there's only one method I'm considering."

Merlin chuckles, and Romani brusquely shoves off to whirl around — he's not running away; he's not! "As if your story and reputation don't greatly precede you!"

“Oh, I'll live up to it, I promise,” with a glint of challenge in violet eyes.

"What? No! I don't doubt you only had one intention, but you only need the result, so wh—"

"Now, now, Romani," the hybrid interjects calmly with a smile that could almost be placating. "I'm sure you're also perfectly aware that your suggestion is only half as efficient given my nature. Perhaps you merely wanted an excuse to jerk off to pictures of your favourite net idol more often?"

"That's—!"

"I did say, I watch everything."

And Romani hates that he can feel the heat in his face, hates that he can't control this inconvenient reflex, hates Merlin and his insufferable know-it-all attitude problem that can't even fix the mess they're in.

"O—only trash like you would so casually admit to intruding on a stranger's privacy!"

"Oh, so we're strangers now?" Those dark eyes glitter, predatory. "Then you won't complain if I seduce you like one?"

The chair suddenly hits the back of his knees, and he yelps as he falls into it. Then Merlin is… kissing him, thumbs drawing teasing circles up his inner thighs, and it's hot all over — he's responding like it's reflex, chasing the intoxicating sweetness of flowers when the hybrid breaks away.

Laughing softly, Merlin murmurs, "But where would be the fun in that?" and just like that, the spell is broken.

"Wh— You insufferable—" Romani splutters, furious — furious that Merlin merely did it to prove that he could, that the realization only seems to heighten his arousal.

"Shh…" Merlin caresses his lips with a thumb, settling in between his knees, and Romani really hates the way his throat just closes up, as if on command. _Dreamlike Charisma,_ his brain supplies, the start of all of Merlin's troubles. "Just tell me: are you going to help or not?" the Caster whispers, pressing in to stroke his tongue, and it's reflex to push back, maybe not to swirl it around the other's finger. "Say the word, and I'll ask someone else."

He grips the vagrant's hand tightly. "I said, leave the others out of this." It comes out more breathless than threatening, and he knows he's in trouble when Merlin smiles with relish.

"As you wish, my king."

"Don't," he hisses through gritted teeth as the other tugs down the zipper of his tunic slowly.

Merlin's smile softens. "Relax, Romani. You can count on me to make this an unforgettably good first time for you."

"I don't— That's not—"

His protest is lost in a gasp as Merlin mouths at his erection through his slacks, and even like this… He doesn't remember this feeling as being so intense. Has it been that long? To his credit, Merlin doesn't stop to be a jerk for a change, just looks up with sultry glee through silvery lashes as he undoes the button and zipper _with his teeth_ like he's done it a million times — _he probably has; don't think about it, Roman; don't thi— f—_

"Mngh!!!" He clamps a hand over his mouth to muffle the loud cry that rises in his throat, squeezes his eyes shut as he moans helplessly. The heat and the suction and the swirl of that wicked tongue has him arching into the pleasure as the Caster pins him to the chair and takes him all the way with both skill and ardour.

It's over embarrassingly quickly — Merlin will never let him live this down.

"Mm…" Head resting on his knee, the other licks soft lips with a satisfied smile, an inhuman glow in the violet eyes that catch his own.

He feels warm and content, though, and he wishes he were in bed instead of at his desk, so he could fall asleep just like this. His body feels boneless and heavy — it's too much effort even to resist when Merlin stands and takes the hand covering his mouth.

"Hm, even though it's out of character, that power shortage does seem rather pressing." The Magus kisses the bite marks through the glove, soothing, and now that he's processing other sensations again, Romani is sure they'll bruise. "Ah, well, I'll make it up to you next time, Archaman."

 _N—next time?!_ "No, don't—!"

But Merlin is already gone.

**~II~**

The music thrums through his body as Romani sings and half-dances along. Packed in with fellow fans in this rare live concert by the amazing Magi☆Mari, there's barely any room to move, but everyone's at least swaying or bouncing to the beat, waving their glowsticks wildly. She's dancing skilfully, though, cutting a svelte figure in the flashing lights as she sings the refrain to her greatest hit.

With a winning smile, she strikes a pose as the music ends, and he cheers at the top of his voice with the others as she bows and thanks everyone for participating. While he'd love for the concert to keep going, he's super excited — he won one of the three backstage passes in the VIP ticket lottery, so he's finally going to meet his idol in person.

He sighs dreamily as he heads to the designated waiting area while the other concert-goers leave — Magi☆Mari really has it all. She's cute, good at both singing and dancing, and always engaging her fans on her website's message board. She even writes her own songs. Sometimes, he thinks she must have all the time in the world to reply to that much fanmail and still make new music videos.

One of the stage crew leads him and two others backstage, and Magi☆Mari comes out to meet them in a high-collared sleeveless black dress. She's braided yellow acacia flowers into her long, strawberry blond hair, and it frames her sweet face as she runs over, smiling happily.

"Thank you for coming to see me today! Did you like my concert?"

For a moment, he's awestruck, tongue-tied — he can't believe he's finally seeing her in person. Then, he's blurting out, "It was amazing, Magi☆Mari! I can tell how much work you've put into every song and video! This is my dream come true! I've always wanted to see you in person!"

She only giggles, though, clasping her hands behind her back. "Aww, thanks, that's so sweet. What's your name?"

"R—Romani Archaman…"

"Ah, you must be the cute Roman that's always on my message board!"

He blushes — it's like he has no life outside following her every update. "I— Y—yes…" He doesn't.

Laughing, she steps closer, and the sweet scent of those flowers will haunt his fantasies forever. "You're so cute." She takes his hands, and he hopes they're not sweaty from all his nerves. "Thank you for always supporting me."

"N—no! I—I mean," he stammers — he feels feverish, and his mouth is parched. "Y—you're the one that's always supporting me with your advice and encouragement! You've helped me so much! A—all this while, I—"

"Of course," she interjects with a gentle smile, her violet eyes alight. "That is my purpose, after all."

_W—what?_

"Well, I wouldn't be much of an idol if I don't make my fans happy, right?" Magi☆Mari leans in till he can almost taste her strawberry lip gloss. "Everyone is making music videos these days. For indie net idols like me to survive, we have to sell dreams… like this."

She closes the last hair's breadth between them, and his brain short-circuits. Her lips are soft and sweet, even in that barest instant of contact, and he's frozen — this can't be possible.

"—ee?" She's started talking again, and he blinks, struggles to focus. "Even though you know it's an impossible dream, you want to believe you can have this."

 _A normal life, a normal romance…_ "Yes…" he sighs as she places his hands on her waist.

"Dance with me," she whispers, looping her arms loosely around his neck, and he can't look away.

"I— I don't kn—"

"It's not the technique that's important, Roman," she cuts in, swaying him along, and he relaxes into it, follows her movements. "If you're not afraid to dream, then you should savour every moment of it."

He smiles, wistful and self-deprecating. "Maybe I'm not afraid to dream because I can't lose what I've never had."

"And you will never have what you're afraid to reach for," she agrees, her crystal flower earrings sparkling like guiding stars in the light. "But are you happy this way?"

Stumbling, he mumbles, "I am also not sad," as she steadies him, and her hair is so soft on his cheek. Involuntarily, he grips her more tightly, shudders as her warm curves caress his skin.

“Well, if a single good dream is all you want, how about a special performance?" Magi☆Mari tilts her head back to wink up at him. "Only for my biggest, most loyal fan."

"W—what?"

"Sit down," she murmurs, and the brush of her thigh between his makes his knees buckle. He falls obediently into the plush settee, and she straddles his hips. "Like I said, as an idol, as someone held apart from everyone else, a fleeting, wonderful dream is all I can give you. It's nice you think that's enough."

Then she captures his lips, all strawberry-flavoured sweet sensuality as her fingers card through his hair, and his eyes flutter shut as the intro to his favourite ballad from her starts playing. She breathes the first lines over his lips when they part, tucks a white camellia into his collar, then pulls away to dance, and he watches her feet trace graceful semicircles on the floor as she sings longingly about finding the courage to love.

The song has always resonated with him —it seems like she's despaired at first, because it's too late, but then it is revealed that it's too late because she's already attached no matter how afraid or unafraid she is— and Romani always wondered if it'd be like that for him one day, if it was already how he felt about this life, these years that passed like a moment's dream.

He never wants this dream to end.

She reaches for the sky, searching for hope, falls into his lap, past the point of no return. Then she rolls her hips, and he gasps as he's suddenly engulfed in tight, wet heat.

 _His_ "M—Magi☆M—Mari…"

She smiles down at him, radiant, as she sings the last verse, undulating to the music, and it's all too much; he can't—

He screams her name as stars burst behind his eyelids, wheezes as he jerks awake abruptly. His clothes and sheets are drenched in sweat, but he can still feel the thrum of pleasure all the way to his toes, feel the fever and hypersensitivity in his loins as he blinks up at the bluish ambient lights in the corners of the ceiling, breathless.

_A dream… that's right… of course it couldn't be…_

He shivers — the cool air has left him a clammy and sticky mess. Sitting up, Romani runs a hand through his hair, swings his legs down to the floor to stand, but when he shucks his shorts to change, they're… clean.

He's sure he…

The first thought that crosses his mind sends him running for the shower.

_S—surely…_

He scrubs himself down under the hot spray, running through the possibilities, but he keeps coming back to… a head of fluffy iridescent tresses nestled between his knees.

“Merlin,” he says firmly once he's dressed, changed his sheets and tossed them in the laundry hamper, finally calm enough to face this. “Merlin, I know you can hear me.”

“Mm, good morning. You're up early, Archaman.”

He whirls around to find the Magus of Flowers lying on his freshly changed sheets, playing with several tulips in hand, and storms over.

"Did you—" Ugh, he can't even say it.

“Oh. Yes," the other replies casually without even looking up. "Why waste a valuable resource?”

“W—” Romani sputters, “That's— Y—you really are trash!! You don't just do things to people in their sleep, and then disappear!!” It's hard to breathe — he must be choking on the indignation.

Merlin finally turns to look at him, leaving the tulips on the pillow. "Didn't you say that I only need the result, so I should take that and leave? Seeing as you were having a good dream, I did so instead of waking you, but if my disappearance bothers you, I'll be happy to stay the night next time."

"What? No!" He feels faint. "That's not the point!!! Don't come next time; don't ever come again!!!"

“Hey.” Strong hands grip his wrists. "Were you so excited that we overdid it? Lie down, Romani. Go back to sleep."

“Go away,” he mumbles as he's guided to the pillow, eyes falling shut. He's out before he can check if Merlin complied.

**~III~**

The next time Merlin pops out from under his office desk, Romani kicks him.

And he's sure Merlin is laughing because his foot hurts more than the arm the Caster held up to block it, but he refuses to give Merlin the satisfaction of letting it show.

"Get out," he snaps instead. "I told you not to come back."

"Right, right," Merlin agrees all too cheerfully, rolling to his feet, "but you also told me to leave the others out of this, so that puts us in a bit of a bind, doesn't it?"

"Wh—" Romani's desk phone rings, and he glares at Merlin, daring him to speak, as he picks up. "Hello?"

"Ah, Roman! Of course it's your resident genius, da Vinci, here, but unfortunately, I have bad news this time. We'll have to postpone the next Rayshift."

Green eyes flick to the Magus now perched on the edge of his desk with a red chrysanthemum in hand. "What? Why?"

"Once we complete the Rayshift, we won't have enough power to run LAPLACE and SHEBA simultaneously, which puts Mash and Ritsuka at significant risk."

"Right." Romani closes his eyes and takes a deep, calming breath as the other starts scattering the petals, whispering 'stay, go, find another' as he plucks them out one at a time. "I understand. Please continue to work on this issue. I will try to figure something out on my end as well." _I just need to let him have his way, right? Ugh, damn it!_

As soon as da Vinci hangs up, Romani whirls on Merlin. "You're doing this on purpose!"

"Hm? Which part?" the other asks as he continues to absently pluck the petals — mocking, provoking, but no, Romani refuses to be baited into distraction.

"You just 'fixed' the shortage the other day!"

"Oh, you mean am I only sending Chaldea the bare minimum necessary on purpose? Why, yes; yes, of course! In the first place, a suitable Mana supply for your systems is a rare find. Your CHALDEAS alone consumes power in the magnitude of Mysteries. But above all, I have to admit those Eyes of yours are really something," Merlin sighs, stretching as if tired and dropping the flower carelessly — it still has half its petals, so maybe the conclusion doesn't matter. "It's such a pain trying to avoid being Seen, you know? Why did you ever give your Clairvoyance up?"

Romani opens his mouth to answer, but no words come. _I hate to admit it, but…_

"Why, Romani," Merlin turns to him with twinkling eyes, legs crossed and hands propping up his chin, "did you think it was because of you?"

_This insufferable—_

But Merlin evades his fist effortlessly and takes advantage of his off-balance stance to reel him in.

"Mmph!"

Merlin licks into his mouth, tangling slender fingers in his hair to massage his scalp, and hooks a leg around his hips to draw him closer. The other's tongue slides along his own, and he pushes at the hybrid's shoulders to pull away, but his hands end up curling in fine robes — everything seems dull and far away except the softness of the other's lips, the warmth of the other's touch, and the pleasure that tingles down his spine as their tongues intertwine. Merlin strokes his cheek, deepening the kiss, and green eyes flutter shut — it's so _easy_ to give in.

"Well, this I don't do on purpose," the hybrid murmurs with a smile when they part, "but it _is_ nice."

And Romani wants to be angry again, but… he knows why the Magus of Flowers is here. The fact is, they need LAPLACE and SHEBA up and running for the next Rayshift.

"I just need to let you… like the first time, right?" he grits out quietly.

"Why so reluctant?" Merlin asks with a chuckle. "You seemed to enjoy it almost too much before."

"Ugh," he shoves the other back and moves away to make a show of tidying up his office. "Forget it. I don't know why I put up with you."

Hopping off the desk, Merlin trails after the doctor, hands clasped behind his back. "Now, now, that won't do, Romani. You did say you'd support and back them up to the best of your ability."

"You're not supposed to admit to eavesdropping," he mutters, consolidating the trash to be thrown out. If only he could throw this piece of trash out, too… Well, at least the flower was illusory.

"What else is left to watch? My options are the tower walls, the unchanging horizon outside the window, a wasteland or this curiosity that gave up his identity and abilities to experience life as a normal human when so many would have wished for the reverse if only they could. No guesses which channel I'm on. So…" Merlin pokes a fluffy head around to look at him. "How was it? Did you enjoy it?"

Romani stills. He has no reason — _no reason at all_ — to answer for Merlin's entertainment, and yet… he can't talk to anyone else about this. "Yes. Even if it was simple, even if, sometimes, it was hard, I was free. No hidden malice to watch out for… No king, no Chosen One… nothing to live up to."

"Mm, so much so you're motivated to do more than just send one ring forward in time now?"

He gasps, whirling around. "Don't act like you know anything about Precognition! It's impossible to see much detail over a thousand years ahead. If not for the Revelation… I didn't know what else to do until— How could you think I'd ever—"

"Yeah, I thought so —you're the boring type that likes things nice, normal and plain vanilla— but I wanted to hear it from you." Laughing softly, Merlin leans closer. "You know," he cards his fingers gently through copper hair, "this disposition of yours, it reminds me of her."

"Her?" Romani blinks, then it hits. "You mean Britain's King of Knights? How do we have anything in common?"

"Mm…" Merlin tucks a stray lock behind his ear, and the wizard's hand lingers, caressing his cheek. "Without knowing what's in store, doing what you think you should. So as not to rock the boat, not saying what you know you should. Will you, too, live in regret?"

He swallows thickly, feet rooted to the spot. "To say something now, when things are still inconclusive… it might make our situation worse."

"Liar," Merlin whispers, suddenly close enough that soft lips brush the shell of his ear as they form those damning words. "Tell me the truth, Archaman. Have I not kept your secrets?"

"And why have you?" he challenges softly. Merlin could expose him. Maybe it would solve their problems, maybe it would not, but neither of them know for sure now.

"The same reason I didn't tell my king that her country was doomed no matter what she did or didn't do."

"Heh. Are you trying to say it was a kindness?"

"No, but your conclusion suggests it is to you."

"Don't put words in my mouth."

"No? Then should I go tell everyone the truth now?"

"No!" He grabs Merlin as the Magus makes for the door. "You'll ruin everything!"

"For whom?" the other counters, sharp as the blade of a guillotine. "Be honest, Romani. Say it."

He takes a steeling breath, squeezing his eyes shut. "Please don't make me give this up." Swallowing the lump in his throat, "There," he hisses. "Are you happy now? You just wanted to hear me beg."

"Not like that, no." Merlin holds him in place with both arms, enveloping him in sweet-smelling robes. "I wanted you to stop pretending. It's not a bad thing to have hope, Roman. If I had told that child that the only life she knew was meaningless, the people's last bit of happiness might have been lost. She had her part to play, and we have ours. Or are you still planning to postpone that Rayshift?"

"No," he sighs, sagging against Merlin in defeat. "Let's just get this over with."

Grinning, Merlin drops to his knees and makes quick work of white slacks. Dropping a kiss on the doctor's knee, "Would you like to step back and lean against the wall?"

Merlin shuffles forward as he does so, and something… something about having the other kneeling at his feet… It twists something ugly in his gut.

"Not like this." He looks away.

The hybrid licks his way up as he stands, and by all logic, Romani thinks it should disgust him, but his blood only rushes down, and it takes his breath away when soft hair sweeps over heated skin.

"The bed?"

He nods, mouth too dry to speak, and Merlin lifts him effortlessly to the examination bed nearby. "Well, like this, it seems I should be more thorough."

Before he can ask, they're kissing again, and his world narrows down to the brush of their lips, the scent of jasmine, the hint of suction, and the tingling caress down his—

He gasps, eyes widening. "W—what…?"

"Shh…" Merlin strokes his hair, and he's about to complain about being treated like some skittish animal when a whimper rises in his throat. The other's fingers are suddenly slick as they move in and out shallowly, and it's strange and lewd, but he can't help pressing back into that teasing touch. "For one like me that feeds on your pleasure," Merlin obliges him with a chuckle, "I wouldn't let you feel anything but."

As if to prove a point, he twists his fingers up, and Romani cries out, back arching reflexively, writhing helplessly at the pleasure blooming in his core as Merlin keeps stroking that place inside. He can hear himself making sounds he didn't even know he was capable of, and he'll never live down the embarrassment if he's overheard, but his attempts to quiet down are foiled by the pad of a thumb running gently along his lower lip.

“It's cute how responsive you are,” the hybrid murmurs with an amused grin. "Cute and delicious."

He opens his mouth to protest, but then Merlin drops to lap up the precum dripping from his erection, and all that escapes is a wanton moan. The other's mouth is warm, wet, velvety and tight, and Merlin isn't even doing anything like the first time — it's unbelievably good as is, and he's almost—

The other pulls away, goes back to teasing him with shallow dips and barely there flicks of the tongue.

"Nghh…" He writhes, hands fisting in frustration — he's so close. He catches the other's smirk as his knees are hooked over broad shoulders and growls, “Stop wasting time, damn you,” as his insides clench — Merlin pressed all the way in again, just once.

Featherlight, soft lips brush his glans as Merlin replies, "As you say, I do like to hear you beg, Archaman, but only like this," maddening, and—

“Ahh, I hate you.”

"Good, good, I'd be in trouble if you said the opposite. Now, you could tell me what you want, or you could ask nicely… and I'm rather certain we're here because you got sick and tired of the former, s—"

“Please shut up and finish this.”

"Hm, is that a good enough compromise?" The Magus wonders aloud, and Romani is going to find a way to murder the cheeky bastard someday, Avalon or no. “Oh, I suppose I'll let it slide,” he decides, “for the sake of humanity.”

And _oh!_ He cries out as pleasure implodes inside, moans when Merlin swallows around him. _W—with just one finger… OH._ He trembles as another wave crashes over him — Merlin merely traced a ridge with the tip of his tongue. The gentle suction leaves him whimpering — he's sure he could… just a little more.

But Merlin stops, uncrosses Romani's ankles on his back to straighten. "As nice as this is, we're on a bit of a schedule h—"

"W—what about you?"

Merlin blinks, and Romani realizes what he said. Hormones, he thinks, have addled his brain.

Before he can dismiss it or take it back, however, Merlin sits back down, leaning in with a predatory smirk. "Concern for me, Romani? That's sweet." He sweeps stray copper locks out of Romani's face. "And what exactly were you volunteering to do for me?"

Romani opens and closes his mouth soundlessly, and he's sure he looks like a goldfish. "I– You—" he starts to stammer, but he doesn't know how to continue — he's never been with a man before, and for all the hundreds of wives he'd had in name, he couldn't claim to have explored… wait, is he really thinking about this?!

Merlin laughs. “People with secrets should think before they speak, Archaman. Give it some thought, though.” He pecks Romani on the cheek. “I'll take you up on that next time.”

Then he's gone, and Romani buries his face in his hands.

**~IV~**

Romani groans, burrowing deeper into his blankets in an attempt to get comfortable. It's cold, and everything aches. Of all times to be sick, too… even if Mash and Ritsuka insisted they could use the break as well, even if Da Vinci was insulted by the mere notion that something might go wrong on her watch, he can't help feeling useless… especially when he remembers all the ways he's partially to blame. He doesn't even _have_ to endure this, not really, but…

“I was feeling a bit faint, so I thought I'd see the doctor, but he seems rather worse for wear than I am.”

“Ugh…” He pulls the blankets over his head to shut out that familiar lilting voice. “Go away.” It'd been some time since Merlin's last visit, and he'd foolishly started to hope the other had forgotten all about the last time — fat chance, he knows.

“Now, now, Doctor, is that any way to treat a patient?”

"You're not a patient," he snaps as grumpily as he can manage. "I'm not taking patients. Go away."

Of course, the vagrant doesn't listen. "This room even smells sick." He lies down beside Romani and pulls the blankets away. Before Romani can complain, though, a bundle of flowering herbs is pressed into his arms — spearmint, sage, chervil and peppermint. They smell sweet and fresh, seeming to clear his nose and his head. "You can't suffocate before you play your part, Archaman. Get a hold of yourself."

He scowls sullenly. "Well, I still can't fix you," _or banish you myself, as convenient as that would be,_ "so you can leave."

"Ah, but my proposition would fix us both," Merlin counters brightly, shifting closer, and Romani gapes.

"Oh wow, this is a new low, even for you. Taking advantage of the sick? You're incorrigible! Ugh." He rolls over to bury his face in the pillow. "Oh God, you remind me of my father." And here he thought he'd escaped that trauma.

Giggling, the other pokes his cheek. "See, this is why you don't have a girlfriend, Roman. You never talk about the parental units in bed."

 _If only looks could kill…_ Romani lifts his head to glare. "Well, you certainly don't seem the least bit dissuaded."

"Clearly," Merlin taps Romani on the nose, "if I were so easily dissuaded from these things, I never would have landed in my present circumstances."

Romani groans, flopping back. "No, you know what? I take that back. I thought my father had hit rock bottom, but from you I learned there's further to stoop."

"Poor David must be sneezing so hard right now." Merlin laughs merrily. "Maybe, if you told him the truth, he'd come take care of you?"

The doctor scoffs. "I may have a fever, but it hasn't addled my brain. Are _you_ in your right mind? If I were _dying,_ maybe he'd come play his harp for me, but otherwise, I'd be lucky if he asked Abishag to tend to me."

"I was being facetious, of course, but what about your ten secret lovers?"

"I did _not_ have ten secret lovers!" He coughs —raising his voice was probably a bad idea— and is mildly grateful when Merlin helps him sit up and hands him the bottle of water on the nightstand. "Out of the hundreds of women I married because I didn't know how to turn their fathers down without giving insult, I had ten favourites whose _company_ I liked best. That pervert just thinks, if you spend time alone with a woman, you must be having sex with her, because that's what he would do. Do you really think it's possible to bed that many women sans birth control and have so few children? Look how many siblings I had."

Snickering, Merlin replies, “Your inexperience is rather self-evident, Romani. You don't need to convince me,” with a wink, and Romani would punch him if only he had the strength to make it count.

Instead, he settles for turning away and lying back down.

“Oh, no, you don't.”

The Caster shifts him, so he's leaning back against Merlin with his head resting on the taller man's shoulder, and he can do little more than glower.

“How long has that even been there?” The other indicates the covered bowl Mash and Ritsuka brought in earlier when they visited.

He'd been too tired and miserable to eat at the time, so… “An hour? Two? Why do you care?”

Merlin picks it up and uncovers it. It's steaming, and Romani is sure Magecraft was involved. Now that the Magus is stirring it, it smells delicious — a rich chicken broth with rice, meat and vegetables. Then Merlin offers him a spoonful.

He blinks. Twice — once at the spoon and once at Merlin.

"If you were going to eat it yourself, you would have," the other points out, and sure, that's true, but…

Slowly, suspiciously, he takes the mouthful. It's delicious, and nothing untoward happens when he swallows it, so he lets the Magus continue feeding him. It's warm in Merlin's arms, and this is actually quite nice.

Suspiciously nice.

“That's it. There you go. Can't have you fainting on me again.”

 _OH._ “Oh, I should have known.” He turns away, crossing his arms. “Get out. I hate you. Let me starve.”

“Now, now, that won't do, Doctor. You have a job to get back to.”

From the twinkle in violet eyes, it looks like Merlin is having fun, and Romani is sure sulking won't get anywhere with this thick-skinned vagrant that has infinite time, so he relents and continues eating.

“You know, I always wanted to try this once,” the wizard remarks, sweeping copper hair out of the way. “Altria was never sick, though. The benefits of having a dragon's heart.”

“Well, I'm pleased to help tick an item off your bucket list— no, actually, I'm pleased being a nice person was on that list at all. Good for you.”

“You know what they say about biting the hand that feeds you, Roman?”

He freezes.

But Merlin just bursts out laughing again, and the spoon doesn't turn into an asp or some other horrid prank, so he relaxes. The Magus combs gentle fingers through his hair, and it's soothing, takes the heaviness and the aches away.

Once, he reflects, he had hundreds of people waiting on him hand and foot, but he couldn't even relax like this. There was always a risk — assassins, usurpers, conspiracies, rumours spreading about less-than-kingly behaviour… no one, not even his closest family, could be trusted, and none of those vying for his attention would have spared him a glance had he not been prince and then king.

At least, whatever this is, the Magus of Flowers isn't here because Romani has a title.

“You know," he sighs at length, "I hated it."

“Hm?”

"The wisdom that I wished for, the wealth and power that it brought…" He twists the ring around his finger — in front of Merlin, he doesn't have to hide. "In the end, it all felt like a golden noose, tightening around my throat with each opportunist that came seeking it. It was suffocating. I came to resent it, all of it.”

“Is that why you broke the covenants?”

He lets out a self-deprecating chuckle. “I guess I stopped caring. God was pleased I wished for something that only made me miserable, then granted me all the things I didn't wish for because I knew they would make me miserable. In the beginning, I was grateful to have my wish granted at all. In the end, I wished I never became king in the first place. I couldn't even live as myself, only as the prophesied king. Sometimes, I let my bitterness make me cruel. I regret that, but it's not for humans to change the past.”

“Try telling Altria that,” his companion mutters, and he laughs with genuine mirth.

“Oh, no, that's your job. I wouldn't survive even the back of Excalibur's blade in this form.”

The bowl emptied, Merlin sets it back down on the nightstand. “You should shower,” he says, and Romani grumbles, “You're just saying that for shower sex.”

“Oh, that's an idea. To be honest, I'm partial to the bed.”

Rolling his eyes, he stands to head to the bathroom. The room spins on his third step, though, and he must have swayed because Merlin catches him by the shoulders and steadies him.

“If you're going to fall and hit your head in the shower, though, my intentions should be the least of your concerns.”

“How do you keep coming up with worse excuses?”

“Like I told you," Merlin leads him into the bathroom with an arm around his waist, "they're only excuses if they're invalid.”

To Romani's surprise, Merlin doesn't start undressing or trying to undress him. But “I— I can't undress when you're watching me expectantly like that!”

Okay, he doesn't need to see silvery eyebrows rise to know he sounds completely ridiculous. It's not like Merlin hasn't already seen everything, and he's already resigned himself to… well, whatever this is.

But the other just shakes his head and goes to set the temperature of the shower. Shucking his T-shirt and shorts, he steps past Merlin into the water and immediately leaps back out.

“W— It's freezing!”

“It's thirty-five degrees Celcius,” and he's never heard Merlin sound so flat. He reaches for the tap to adjust it, but the Caster catches his hands. "It's supposed to be cool to bring down your temperature, isn't it? Aren't you a medical doctor, Archaman? Take your own advice."

“But I'm freezing,” he protests, and it sounds like a piteous whine.

He should have expected this —Merlin's robes slip off as the other bodily lifts him into the shower— but his "W—what are you doing?!" seems meaningless when he's clinging tightly to Merlin's warmth under the cold spray — as if he hadn't suffered enough indignities today.

“More like you're overheating. You're a doctor now, King of Magecraft. Be more responsible.”

“You're the last person I want to hear that from!” But then Merlin starts rubbing shampoo into his hair, and _oh,_ he sighs, eyes fluttering shut as he relaxes — he's missed this. “I admit there were some perks to being king, though,” he mumbles, burying his face in the crook of the hybrid's neck — Merlin smells wonderful, like flowers and musk.

“Like a harem of the land's most beautiful women?”

He scoffs, “My father would agree with that. You know he only named me his successor because he promised my mother he would, right? Heh, at the height of her beauty, she could get anything out of him.” It's nice to be able to speak so freely — he couldn't have talked like this even when he was alive back then.

“So you only liked them bathing you?”

“I only liked whatever they did without a hidden agenda,” he corrects wistfully with a soft groan as strong fingers massage the soap down his back, loosening tension and knots as they go. “Seeing as I can't even get a second date these days, I'm sure they weren't in it for my personality. Regardless, Clairvoyance showed me every plot and every intrigue. I couldn't even have the benefit of blissful ignorance.”

“You seem to like this just fine.”

Romani nips at the nearest patch of skin with a force that would have been vicious on a normal human. “There is nothing hidden about your agenda, you shameless pervert.”

“Mm, and you shouldn't start games you can't win, Doctor,” Merlin whispers, lips suddenly by his ear, and the breath hitches in Romani's throat when the other nips along the shell of his ear, then continues down the side of his neck. Like this, he can't hide the heat that blossoms, that rushes down, that feels like fire on suddenly sensitive skin.

So he steps back to make his excuses, but when he lifts his face, his lips meet Merlin's and… he moans into the kiss as the hybrid cups his glutes to press their hips together. Tangling his fingers in iridescent hair, he kisses back, lets Merlin lower him to the floor. With rivulets of water running down that perfect physique and silvery lashes glimmering with crystalline droplets, Merlin looks so beautiful leaning over him from between his thighs.

He's never thought like this before.

“So this is what turns you on?” the other teases, spreading soap all over his skin, and he arches off the tiles when soapy fingertips trace his areolae — leave it to a half-incubus to discover things about this body that he'd never known himself. “You should have just said so. I would have been happy to join you in the shower.”

Those skilful fingers tweak his nipples, thumbs skimming the tips, and he doesn't correct the hybrid, groaning as the jolts go straight down to intensify the throbbing between his legs, squirming in search of any friction for relief. Instead, he grabs one hand and guides it down to fold long fingers around his need, whimpering at the warm grip on sensitive flesh.

“Someone's eager today,” the hybrid chuckles, and he refuses to see the smirk he can hear for himself.

But Merlin doesn't move, lets go before he can even thrust into it, hushes his grunt of frustration.

“I have something else in mind,” Merlin coos, tracing little circles on his inner thigh — just out of reach, moving back towards… his insides clench at the memory of those fingers pressing in, stroking that place that makes stars spark behind his eyelids. He bites his lip before he can say anything foolish this time, but his body betrays him — involuntarily, he's lifted his hips in offering. “Yes." The other laughs with glee. "I believe you will enjoy it very much.”

Merlin manoeuvres him onto his side then, parts his legs and—

Green eyes widen.

 _I—is that…?!_ His gasp of shock as the hybrid licks up his inner thigh and into him turns into one of rapture — it's soft and wet, pliant yet forceful, and “M—Merlin—!” His fingers scrabble for purchase on wet tiles as the other sucks at the rim of his entrance, tongue darting in and out, then—

“A—ahh!!!” His vision whites out, body spasming as he spills, but Merlin doesn't stop. If anything, the minx presses deeper, seeking, exploring, _tasting,_ like he wants it all. The cool water raining on Romani's heated skin heightens every sensation, but then Merlin's thumb starts stroking a patch of skin just below, and _OH,_ he cries out, eyes rolling back in his head at the intense pleasure. Merlin rims him through his climax, keeps going till he's slumped on the floor, strung out and breathless, before finishing with a final kiss that tingles with Magecraft.

Before he can catch his breath to ask, however, the Magus has lifted him onto his lap and— eyes wide, he forgets to breathe. “T—this is…” something that had never crossed his mind, but upon consideration, he imagined it would hurt. Even with Magecraft to take away the pain, he never thought it would feel so full, so good, so _intimate._

“I told you I'd take you up on it,” Merlin murmurs, nibbling lightly on an earlobe, and Romani sighs, relaxing into the warm arms holding him in place.

Closing his eyes beneath the shower, he tilts his head back to rest on Merlin's shoulder and tugs at wet curls. He turns into the kiss, fierce this time —a clash of tongues and teeth— and hisses at the exploratory caress, hypersensitive. The next joining of their lips is gentler, sweeter, and the warmth that spreads throughout threatens to melt him.

He'll concede that Merlin lives up to his reputation — the gentle touches quickly become unsatisfactory, and he finds himself needing more than the featherlight patterns the other is idly tracing over a million nerve endings.

“My, my, if this is your stamina in this condition, I can't wait to try this again when you're at full health.”

“You're right,” Romani mutters. “You have no principles.”

Devious laughter thrums into his skin as soft lips move to trace his jugular and the hand still around his middle creeps up to play with his nipples, sliding easily over his skin with the water and alternating between the two. The sudden jolts of pleasure inside take him by surprise — every contraction increases the pressure on what he now knows is his prostate, and every swipe of Merlin's fingertips makes his insides clench. He'll come, just like this —he can feel it coiling up inside— and Merlin will laugh at him for being an easy virgin.

“So close already?” the other asks as if on cue. Then they've pushed forward to brace their hands against the wall. “Let me do you one better.”

Nothing could have prepared him for the surge of electric pleasure when Merlin starts to move. He doesn't recognize his own voice or the sounds he's making anymore, gripping the other's hands tightly as he meets every thrust. He won't last, he knows, but he doesn't expect…

Merlin turns his hands to clasp his own, peppers strangely tender kisses on his neck and shoulders.

They come as one, Merlin embracing him tightly through it, face buried in his hair, and it's hot inside, _incredible._ He chases the feeling till he's spent, exhausted, held up only by his lover's arms.

Then he catches himself.

Merlin stops.

Romani hurriedly lets go.

Like reflex, his hands clutched at the hybrid's when Merlin pulled away, and he tells himself it's for balance when the Caster lifts him to his feet directly under the shower's spray. He lets Merlin help him out of the shower and hand him a towel, feeling faint.

_What's gotten into me?_

It's cold now, so he quickly wipes himself down, cold and _empty_ and he wants… He vigorously towels his hair to wipe away the rest of that thought, but he stops when he realizes Merlin is standing behind him. He lowers the towel. The Magus looks perfect, like he hadn't just been in the shower.

“Here.” Merlin combs the fingers of both hands through his hair, drying it instantly. “You're supposed to be resting in bed, after all.”

“That didn't stop you earlier,” he retorts, but there's no heat in it — maybe it really is the fever.

The other chuckles, and it sounds fond, makes Romani want to lean back into him — he's growing delirious, surely. “Well, it didn't stop you either.”

He doesn't have a counterargument there —it's true he'd been willing, like he hadn't been since Naamah, who hadn't known who he was at first— so he goes to get dressed, shaking his head — the comparison is crazy.

But when he's dressed, Merlin is lying on the bed, sweeping the herbs back into a tidy bundle, and…

“Weren't you complaining that I didn't stay the night previously?”

He'd been frozen to the spot, staring. “No, that's not what I said at all.” But he lies down on his side, facing the other.

“Not ‘doing things to people and then disappearing’ is the same as staying the night, Romani.” Merlin takes his hands and wraps them around the herbs. “Well, do you want me to leave?”

And he opens his mouth to say yes, that Merlin shouldn't have come at all, but… “No,” he decides truthfully, pulling the blankets back up around himself. Maybe he can sleep off this madness that has taken hold of him.

Merlin is gone when he wakes up —of course, as expected— but his fever has broken, and the herbs have been dried and packed into a little bag labelled tea.

Romani takes it to his office and steeps himself a cup — it smells sweet and fresh, much like last night, tastes pleasantly minty. But when Mash comes in and remarks that he seems happy today, Romani knows he's _really_ in trouble.

**~V~**

The last time Merlin pops out from under his office desk, Romani is too lost in thought to notice.

Seeing Kingu has finally given him the answer. He gets it now, how it all came to this. Unfortunately, he also understands now why he was instructed to send this ring forward in time. Of all the things that he could do, there was only one that needed all ten rings. 

_What if it's the only way?_

“Talk about a colder welcome than usual. And here I thought, after all that fun we had, you were finally warming up to me.”

Romani glances down, finally noticing the other's presence. “Don't," he sighs wearily. "I'm not in the mood, and I've already checked our power levels today.”

To his surprise, Merlin shifts to sit more comfortably, resting his head on Romani's thigh. Looking at it now, the hybrid's hair greatly resembles Fou's fur… or maybe it's that Cath Palug looks so much like Merlin. It's as soft and fluffy to the touch as it looks.

“You've noticed then.”

“Yes.” He doesn't ask why Merlin never told him. It wouldn't have made a difference.

“And you plan to spend the time you have left sitting here and moping about it?”

He stops, standing abruptly. “How would you understand?!” He runs a gloved hand through his hair, pacing. He'd been so happy to have his wish granted. These eleven years, of course he doesn't regret working to save and preserve human civilization, but… His muscles freeze, and it's hard to breathe. “It's not enough,” he gasps. It could never be enough. There's still so much… so much _life_ to be lived if they succeed, and yet… it's not a victory that he can celebrate. “I shouldn't be thinking like this, I know, but—”

“Why shouldn't you?” Merlin climbs to his feet, then settles for resting his hips on the edge of Romani's desk. “Everyone wants to be happy. Even one such as I can understand that. Why should you be any different?”

He turns to look at the other as desperation rises like bile in his throat. For all his composed talk of keeping a trump card up his sleeve, the truth is… The truth is… “My time was over to begin with,” he whispers, mostly to himself. “And yet, gifted with these eleven years, I never…”

“Cherished every moment? Lived life to the fullest? Grasped the happiness you saw within reach?” Every word cuts like a knife. “And why didn't you?”

“H—how could I have burdened anyone w—”

“Don't forget I know you, King of Magecraft,” the other cuts him off, and it's true — it's sometimes painful, sometimes comforting, but he never could or needed to lie to Merlin. “If the delusion that cowardice is selflessness comforts you, so be it, but in truth, don't you feel the pain of loss is equal to the pain of regret?”

“What does it matter?” He looks away. “It's already too late.”

“On the contrary, you can still be the happiest that you can be today.”

"Look, unlike you, I'm not some inhuman piece of trash that can just—" He stops, realizing what he'd just let slip.

Merlin sighs, pushing off from the desk. "For those who exist beyond humanity, there is a line that should not be crossed with humans. In this, you and I, we are alike." Romani glances up as the Magus comes to stand before him. "However, unlike me, right now, you are free. Even if it is fleeting, your story should be a happy one. So don't dwell on foolish things, Romani. The consequences are not yours to bear. Savour every moment of the freedom that you wished for."

And search as he might, he can find no sign of insincerity in the other's eyes. "I—" Even if it's impossible, even if it's unrealistic, even if he _knows_ … Merlin has a point — what does it all matter in the end, in the void? Even a small happiness, even for one precious moment…

He hauls the hybrid into a desperate kiss, reaching for the fastenings on luxurious robes. _It's all right,_ he thinks; _it's better this way._ By his nature, Merlin would never grieve or regret.

But Merlin lifts him into an embrace, gentles the brush of their lips, and it leaves him breathless. He wants to forget, wants to stay forever, wants tomorrow to fix itself.

He doesn't know how they get to his bed, but he's in Merlin's lap now, head resting on the other's bare shoulder, and the hybrid is mouthing his way down Romani's throat, lapping up the hint of salt in the hollow and sucking a mark into his collarbone. It's ridiculously arousing, and he tugs at iridescent hair to urge the Magus on, but he only starts moaning when a warm hand cups his groin through all the layers of fabric keeping him trapped. It's not enough friction, but God, it's also really _good_ — he presses into it, but Merlin keeps up his teasing touch, rubs semicircles into random places, and "Ahh, please…" his boxers are soaked.

"Aww…" Merlin chuckles, divesting him of his clothing with inhuman speed. "How can I refuse when you ask so adorably?" Dexterous fingertips dance up his inner thighs, and the breath hitches in his throat with anticipation. "But what you really want is this, isn't it?"

Romani bites back a loud cry as Merlin's other hand dips inside — he'd almost come from just that, and he's sure Merlin felt his body's visceral reaction. He remembers the first time the other fingered him to orgasm, remembers coming untouched twice as the minx kissed his way in — tongue, suction and all, and— no, he _needs_ to think of something else, something unsexy — he's already too close, and he wants more, wants this time to last.

"That's very cute, but you don't have to, you know." Nose to nose, those eyes are too bright, hypnotic. "What else have I to do but wait?" As if to prove his point, Merlin crooks his fingers just right, and—

Romani blinks the haloed lights out of his vision, slumping in Merlin's arms as he tries to catch his breath while the hybrid gazes down at him with twinkling eyes and an infuriatingly satisfied smirk.

"Don't say a word," he mumbles, and Merlin chortles.

"Even if it's that you get more delectable every time?"

"R—really?"

“You think I'd keep coming back for bad sex?”

While he racks his brain for a witty rejoinder, the Magus of Flowers lays him on the bed now covered in pink carnation petals, so he settles for muttering, “Show off.”

“Hypocrite,” Merlin counters, settling into his side, leaving no ambiguity in his meaning by tapping the ring before moulding their palms together. 

Still, “No, I'm quite sure I mastered mediocrity this time around,” he replies, and Merlin chuckles.

“Well, far be it from me to undermine a glorified man's attempts at modesty.”

But Romani turns to look as Merlin trails a fingertip down his arm, following markings that aren't there anymore as if he knows those patterns by heart, and it… makes his heart race, chokes him up with emotions that he doesn't dare name.

“Tell me,” he whispers hoarsely, squeezing stinging eyes shut. “Tell me what to do.”

“Tomorrow?” Merlin asks, as if reading his mind. "Only you can decide that."

"And now?"

"I told you, Roman — it's not the technique that's important."

“When d—” He stops, the words echoing in his memory like the aftertaste of strawberry lipgloss. _Then…_ “That dream…?”

Giggling, “You're rather dense without those Eyes," Merlin teases. "You really should have kept them.”

But all he can think about now is that dream — the light he hadn't recognized in violet eyes and all the things they said.

“Please,” he breathes, not trusting his voice. “Please,” although he doesn't know what he's asking for.

To his surprise, the hybrid gasps.

Then, suddenly, Merlin is upon him, pressing him into the mattress, hands conquering his skin, plundering Romani's mouth like he's ravenous for it, and _Yes, yes, just like this, forever._

"Oh, I've missed this," Merlin sighs when they part, eyes aglow in the dim room. "How long has it been…?"

And he doesn't know precisely what Merlin is referring to, but "Too long?" he hazards, and the other smiles back.

"Centuries," Merlin agrees, then he's sliding in, lacing their fingers and pressing their foreheads together, and it's all Romani can do to breathe through the intensity. It doesn't hurt —Merlin never lets it hurt— but that's why he can feel _everything._

It's almost too much, but it's full and good and— Merlin has pushed up to lift his leg and kiss his ankle, and he groans as his lover mouths a trail up to nuzzle the back of his knee. The other does the same with his left leg without letting go of the right, and at this angle, even those maddeningly shallow thrusts hit their mark perfectly, leave him writhing for more.

“Please,” he says again, and Merlin catches his hands when he reaches up, violet eyes brimming with tenderness as soft lips are pressed to his knuckles — he can almost believe. And that's the dangerous bit; that's how Merlin got into so much trouble — you can't be betrayed by something you never trusted.

He can't bear to look, so he pulls Merlin back down, inhales deeply of his lover's musky floral scent, clings tightly to the other as they move as one. Merlin presses a kiss to his temple, then to the pulse point behind his ear, then captures his lips, and that's what does it — the gentle suction on the tip of his tongue sends him careening over the edge, crying out as orgasm sears white-hot into his soul. Merlin holds him through it, groans Romani's name softly as he spills inside, and it leaves Romani trembling, his hold on the Caster tight enough to bruise a human as his vision swims.

“Why do you do this?” he asks, voice too thick and shaky to speak above a whisper. He'd avoided these situations for so long now, and yet, here he is, just when it might all be over.

He expects the other to leave or otherwise evade his vaguely phrased question, but Merlin chuckles, rolling over without letting go. “She used to say the same thing.”

“Altria?” Cradled close like this, the steady heartbeat by his ear doesn't seem so inhuman.

Merlin shakes his head, strokes copper hair. “Vivian. ‘You should not do or say things that you do not mean, Magus of Flowers’ she would say. ‘When you are so kind, you only cause misunderstandings, you irresponsible fool,’” he intones, ostensibly mimicking her voice.

“The Lady of The Lake?”

The other hums. “In the first place, it's not like I don't mean it, but to say that I should be unkind because I will not stay a lifetime is completely unreasonable. Conversely, should I not be kinder because our time together will be brief?”

Romani laughs, wiping his face in soft petals and silken hair. “You're the worst, you know. The deeper you drive a knife in, the more it hurts when you pull it out.”

“Yes," agrees the Magus of Flowers. "I'm starting to see that. Being trapped in a ten-metre radius outside the time axis leaves plenty of room for reflection. My king is right about one thing, though.” He drops a kiss on the crown of Romani's head. “I just never learn any better.”

 _It's enough, though,_ Romani thinks, that Merlin will always remember him fondly from that tower in paradise, the same way the Magus remembers even the one who robbed him of his last days with his king by putting him there. _It's enough. And even if you only meant it for one fleeting, wonderful night,_ “Thank you,” Romani sighs, relaxing into sleep. “It was the perfect dream.”

**~VI~**

He wakes in a field of ambrosia flowers beneath a perfect blue sky. “Where…?”

“Good, you're awake.”

He rolls into a crouch. “Merlin?” This can't be… The last thing he remembers… “Where are we?”

“Where else?” The Caster is playing with a butterfly. “This is the Underworld, although I suppose we're presently sitting in my Noble Phantasm. Nice view, isn't it?”

“Th— But Ars Nova—”

“It worked." And he heaves a sigh of relief as Merlin continues, "You've successfully returned all the gifts King Solomon received from God and erased his record from the Throne of Heroes.” The Magus stands and approaches.

“Then—”

“The last eleven years were not just a dream.” He takes Merlin's hands, lets the other help him to his feet. “There are plenty of Observers to confirm the existence of the human named Romani Archaman. That data —your soul— most certainly exists. And since you were nearest to Ereshkigal's domain when you ‘died,’ she reaped your soul to this place.”

Romani smiles. “So you were waiting for me?” He'll admit it — he'd be a bit touched even if Merlin had an ulterior motive.

“To be precise," Merlin grins, "I came to collect something that belongs to me.”

He blinks. “Something that belongs to you?”

“Ah, wasn't Solomon the foremost authority on my kind?” The hybrid takes him by the chin, an inhuman glow in violet eyes. “Your soul, Romani Archaman, was mine from the first moment you were truly willing.”

He should be worried, Romani thinks, but the words only stir desire, and he closes the remaining distance between them. If he could feel carnal pleasure without a physical body, he'd be up for whatever filthy, depraved kink Merlin always manages to make so good.

“Well, the rules probably say I should take you back to my boring ol' tower, but…” The vagrant shrugs, leading him by the hand. “Where would be the fun in that?”

“Then…”

“Hm… What your friends are doing looks fun.”

He almost falls over, as if his feet were suddenly rooted to the ground.

_I—it's too good to be true… right?_

“W—will Ereshkigal just let me go?”

“Weren't you listening when Gilgamesh said the living can break Ereshkigal's rules? Since there is no future in which I am dead, that means _I_ get to break those rules with abandon. Besides, you ‘died’ within Ars Paulina, too.”

“But I… I don't have a physical body, do I?”

Merlin turns to face him fully, looking mildly offended. “Just who do you think I am? I'm Merlin — Kingmaker, Grand Caster, Eternal Stargazer. You shouldn't underestimate me, Archaman. I gave a girl a dragon's heart and allowed her to father a child. Just leave such things to m—”

He's thrown his arms around the Magus before he can do or say anything truly embarrassing. “Thank you,” he manages, muffled by thick robes. To have another chance at that dream, at that life... it's more than he dared to hope for.

The other's arms fold around him. “Oh, you won't thank me once you see the trouble they've gotten into this time.”

Romani shakes his head. “T—that just means they need us more than ever, right?”

Merlin laughs. “Right, right, that's the spirit! Let's enjoy a journey blessed by flowers.”

He nods, lacing their fingers with a smile, then something occurs to him. “First, there's somewhere we should go.”

[ ](http://s3.photobucket.com/user/shinigami_yumi/media/1530239460814_merlin%20n%20romani_micehellwd_zpsusbvmudq.jpg.html)

**Author's Note:**

> In case anyone is interested, in the language of flowers...  
> Lilac = First emotions of love  
> Yellow Acacia = Secret love  
> White Camellia = You're adorable  
> Tulips = Declaration of love  
> Red Chrysanthemum = I love  
> Jasmine (Indian) = Attachment  
> Spearmint = Warmth of sentiment  
> Sage = Long life, esteem, health  
> Chervil = Sincerity  
> Peppermint = Warmth and cordiality  
> Pink Carnation = I will never forget you  
> Ambrosia = Your love is reciprocated
> 
> All feedback is always appreciated. Thank you for reading! ♡


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